Today’s Sweet 6 NYC Events > SUNDAY/ DECEMBER 10, 2017

“We search the internet everyday looking for the very best of What’s Happening, primarily on Manhattan’s WestSide, so that you don’t have to.” We make it as easy as1-2-3.

For future NYC Events better check the tab above: “NYC Events-December”
It’s the most comprehensive list of top events this month that you will find anywhere.
Carefully curated from “Only the Best” NYC event info on the the web, it’s a simply superb resource that will help you plan your NYC visit all over town, all through the month.
The curated list of events you will find in the“This WEEK” tab ain’t bad, either.

===========================================================

Have time for only one NYC Event today? Do this:

INDO-JAZZ FESTIVALThe Appel Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center / 6PM, $37
“Indian classical is one of the world’s oldest improvised-music traditions; jazz is one of the youngest. Many jazz musicians of the past 60 years have found their own nexus points between the two genres, and this festival explores the ways in which the shared territory between jazz and Indian classical remains fertile. It also unites jazz and dance, with performances from the Parul Dance Company, as well as the bands Melodic Intersect and Jazz Carnatica.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

STANLEY COWELL QUARTET(LAST DAY)at Smoke / 7, 9 and 10:30PM, $40
“Mr. Cowell, a pianist, made his biggest mark in the 1970s, when he led the record label Strata-East and developed a personal piano style that bent the corners on straight-ahead jazz. But he has never slowed down; his latest recording, “No Illusions,” features seven graceful originals and one cover of a John Lewis composition. Here he heralds its release with a weekend of performances featuring the personnel from the album: Bruce Williams on alto saxophone, Jay Anderson on bass and Billy Drummond on drums.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

RENEE ROSNES (LAST DAY)at Dizzy’s Club / 7:30 and 9:30PM, $35
“Ms. Rosnes’s piano playing has an unflashy appeal, focused and energetic and light of touch. As a composer, she can channel the insider language of postbop to broadly compelling effect. Ms. Rosnes appears here with a straight-ahead jazz dream team: the tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana, the vibraphonist Steve Nelson, the bassist Peter Washington and the drummer Lenny White.” (NYT-GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO)

Jimmy Heath Big Band (LAST DAY)Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St./ 8PM, +10:30PM, $20-$35
“Never a star yet long an honored lodestar to fellow-musicians, Heath has attained reverential stature in the jazz community as a saxophonist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and educator. Still spunky at ninety-one, this diminutive polymath will front a sixteen-piece big band that’s sure to provide vivid tonal color to his enduring tunes.” (NewYorker)

Bill Frisell Thomas Morgan(LAST DAY)Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St./ 7:30, +9:30PM, $30
“Small Town,” a live duet recording released this year, by the guitarist Frisell and the bassist Morgan, is a quiet masterpiece, its intimate interplay an example of the seismic power that occurs when two exceptional musicians truly listen to each other. A repertoire that spans the Carter Family’s “Wildwood Flower” and Paul Motian’s haunting “It Should’ve Happened a Long Time Ago” demonstrates the duo’s genre-embracing range.” (NewYorker)

ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER(through Dec. 31).at New York City Center / 3PM,+7:30PM $29+
“Ailey’s monthlong winter season continues with a batch of premieres. Joining the repertory on Friday is the John Coltrane-inspired “Members Don’t Get Weary,” the first work for the company by one of its most captivating dancers, Jamar Roberts. On Tuesday, the troupe welcomes back “Shelter,” a 1992 work by the esteemed choreographer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar examining the effects of homelessness. On Wednesday, Talley Beatty’s ode to disco-era Los Angeles, “Stack-Up,” returns to the stage. And, of course, more “Revelations,” the company’s staple, created by Ailey in 1960 to a playlist of spirituals, gospel and blues.” (NYT-BRIAN SCHAEFER)

New York City Ballet / “The Nutcracker”(Through Dec. 31)NYS/DHK Theater, Lincoln Center / various times and prices
“As a young dancer in St. Petersburg in the nineteen-tens, George Balanchine performed the lead in the Harlequins’ “Hoop Dance” in the Mariinsky Ballet’s “Nutcracker.” By all accounts, he was rather proud of his performance, and in 1954, when he created his own “Nutcracker” for the New York City Ballet, he included the dance verbatim in the second act, and renamed it “Candy Cane.” With its double hoop jumps, it is still one of the most beloved sections of the ballet, performed by one adult dancer and eight children from the school. This merging of past and present, adult prowess and youthful flair, has helped insure this production’s enduring appeal for more than sixty years. It returns for a monthlong run.” (NewYorker)

“George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” continues performances throughout the month. It never disappoints, from its onstage snowstorm to the one-ton Christmas tree that grows from 12 to 40 feet. And there’s also, of course, Balanchine’s remarkable choreography, which brings the Tchaikovsky score to dancing life. This week, many of the principal dancers get a shot at Sugar Plum — Sara Mearns, Megan Fairchild and Lauren Lovette, among them — but not to be overlooked is the soloist Indiana Woodward, who is scheduled to do the honors on Dec. 7 opposite Chase Finlay as her Cavalier. She’s a delight.”(NYT 12/01-Gia Kourlas)

====================================

(11/10/17-1/1/18) The NYC perennial holiday favorite Christmas Spectacular Starring The Radio City Rockettes®returns. Fan favorites include “New York at Christmas,” where the Rockettes® board a real double-decker bus, and the high-energy tap number “Twelve Days of Christmas.” Of course, beloved classics like “The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” and “The Living Nativity” will also be back. rockettes.com/christmas

==========================================

Let there be light!Luminaries installation at Brookfield Place in the Winter Garden, a stunning holiday arrangement, comprising 650 LED lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Make sure to pack your skates and enjoy ice-skating next door, along the waterfront.
AND
Erwin Redl’s Whiteout, a newly commissioned public art project, will light up in Madison Square Park. It consists of hundreds of transparent white spheres, each embedded with a white LED light, and suspended from a square grid of steel poles. The swaying sequence of light will be on display until April 2018.

=====================================================Bonus NYC events– Jazz Venues:
Many consider NYCity the Jazz capital of the world. Here are my favorite Jazz clubs, all on Manhattan’s WestSide. Check out who is playing tonight:

Special Mention:Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones St. nr Bleecker St. — caffevivaldi.com / 212-691-7538
a classic, old jazz club in the Village, Caffe V often surprises with a wonderfully eclectic lineup. It’s my favorite spot for an evening of listening enjoyment and discovery.

==================================================================================
♦ Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
♦ NYCity, with a population of 8.5 million, had a record 60 million visitors last year and was TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Top U.S. Destination for 2017. Quality shows draw crowds.
Try to reserve seats for these top NYC events in advance, even if just on day of performance.

A special pat on the back to MOMA, who is now displaying art from the seven countries affected by Trump’s travel ban.

“Trump’s ban against refugees from seven Muslim-majority nations has sparked acts of defiance in NYC, from demonstrations across town, to striking taxicab drivers at JFK to Middle Eastern bodega owners closing their shops in protest. Recently, the Museum Of Modern added its two cents by bringing out artworks it owns from the affected countries, and hanging them prominently within the galleries usually reserved for 19th- and 20th-century artworks from Europe and the United States. Paintings by Picasso and Matisse, for example, were removed to make way for pieces by Tala Madani (from Iran), Ibrahim El-Salahi (from Sudan) and architect Zaha Hadid (from Iraq). The rehanging, which was unannounced, aims to create a symbolic welcome that repudiates Trump by creating a visual dialog between the newly added works and the more familiar objects from MoMA’s permanent collection.” (TONY)

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

‘BLACK POWER!’ (through Dec. 30).
“Given the economic, environmental and social policies emanating from the White House, the United States could be headed for its most dynamic era of public resistance since the 1960s. And if you’re searching for cultural models from the past, even flawed ones, that effectively brought a message of social change into the street, the schools and the workplace, you’ll do well to check out this vivid documentary show about a cultural movement that broadened activist art to embrace public murals, fashion and poetry; and protest demonstrations that had the visual allure, choreographic rigor and emotional weight of theater.” (Cotter)

American Museum of Natural History:

Mummies (thru 1/7/18)
“For thousands of years, peoples around the world practiced mummification as a way of preserving and honoring their dead. Mummies brings you face to face with some of these ancient individuals and reveals how scientists are using modern technology to glean stunning details about them and their cultures. In Mummies, ancient remains from the Nile Valley of Africa and the Andes Mountains of South America will be on view, allowing visitors to connect with cultures from the distant past. Mummification, a more widespread practice than most think, was used not only for royal Egyptians but also for common people and even animals. Interactive touch tables let visitors virtually “unravel” or see inside mummies as they delve deep into the unique stories of the people or animals who lie within. Other parts of the exhibition showcase the latest isotopic and DNA testing being performed on mummies, and explain how these sophisticated analytical techniques are helping scientists discover important clues about long-vanished practices. Mummies was developed by The Field Museum, Chicago.”(NYCity Guide)

==============================================================For other selected Museum and Gallery Special Exhibitions see Recent Posts in right Sidebar dated 12/08 and 12/06.
============================================================